No, no, no...

Today we took Izzy to the pediatrician...and it was confirmed that she has yet another ear infection. This being said, Izzy has been a little fussy lately around bedtime. She has needed some extra TLC and snuggling, so I didn't want to let her "cry it out" like we used to for bedtime (she hasn't fought nighttime sleep in months). Anyway, tonight I went to her in her crib and simply brought her back down to calm her (similar to what we did on Mother's Day). It was an hour past her bedtime and she decided to show off her new trick: shaking her head back and forth. We were laughing so hard...and finally decided to get the camera. I think she made herself dizzy, as she ends up spitting up at the end of this clip. She's too stinking cute!

Izzy's first boat ride...

Playing with her toys
Checking out the water
Parking the boat is fun
Hanging out on the deck
Found the tag on the toy, of course

She loved the bath in the sink

Looking at the lake with Grandma

Eating a pretzel rod (her new fave) along with cheerios and strawberries. Like the towel we used as a bib? Forgot the bibs at home - whoops!

We spent this last weekend at Mike's mom's lake in northern Indiana. It was one of the most relaxing trips there I've ever had. Something about adding a happy baby to the mix really makes everyday life and trips so much fun!

Izzy had her first boat ride & I don't really think she even noticed we weren't on land anymore. She continued to play with her toys (grandma brought the exersaucer on the boat!!) like normal. We even showed her the water over the side of the boat and she still didn't register than anything was out of the ordinary. Maybe she's just really comfortable with the water like her daddy!

We spent most of the day on Saturday outside (with the exception of the 3 hour nap!) in the sun. That evening Izzy girl took a bath in the sink, sans baby tub, & Iz thought it was so much fun. Either that, or she was just excited to have all eyes on her.

Izzy has taken to enjoying gnawing on pretzel rods the past few weeks. Still no teeth, but loves to gum pretty much anything. Grandma had some cheerios, so we offered those to her as well. She was able to get them in her hands and then in her mouth, but even after sucking on them, she didn't swallow any. She did, however, love the strawberries daddy gave her. So much fun to watch her experience new foods & textures.

Looking forward to the next trip to the lake in June!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

My very first Mother's Day was so much fun! Mike, Izzy & I spent the weekend at the lake relaxing (pictures to come soon). My very first gift from Izzy: a framed finger painting. I literally cried my eyes out when I unwrapped it. Her daycare does some special things for us - this one took the cake. It is going on my desk and I will look at if for days/weeks/years to come! Mike gave me a gift certificate for an hour-long massage...perfect!

After a long weekend up north, we came home around Izzy's bedtime (6pm) and immediately fed her and put her to bed. She talked for a long time in her crib (usually she goes right to sleep) and we ended up getting her back up. Turns out she was extra hungry (growth spurt?) for another bottle. From 8 to 9 tonight we snuggled with our very cuddly daughter. She did lots of smiling, snuggling & talking; her new words (and only words) are "ma ma" and "ba ba." Izzy has also started waving and shaking her head back and forth (it's cute now, but once she knows what "no" means, it won't be so cute anymore). Lots of laughing and loving. Maybe Izzy knew I wanted more time with her tonight. The sweetest way to end Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to all our moms: Linda, Cathy, Anna & Laura. Also, happy Mother's Day to my sister, Kim. And finally, happy Mother's Day to all my girlfriends. I have learned from all of you and am constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to have you moms out there to draw knowledge from. Here's to motherhood & all the joy it brings us! Love you!!

Tag, I'm it...

My girlfriend "tagged" me via bloggerspace. So I'm sharing several random things about myself:

What I was doing 10 yrs ago: early May 1998...I KNOW I had just finished my Junior year at IU and moved to Minneapolis for the summer for my internship at Target HQ. One of my roommates from that summer is still one of my best friends - Krazy Karen Kay. That was one crazy summer...partying in Madison!!! It's also the summer I met Deanna Murphy for the first time partying in Chicago one night (but I didn't remember meeting her-go figure- and we didn't become friends until a few years ago reconnecting at Banana Republic)!!!

Five things on my to do list for today: It's the end of the day. But I still have some things to do. 1. Real estate work to get done - counter offers and such. 2. Clean Izzy's bottles. 3. Clean the kitchen. 4. Pack for the weekend at the lake. 5. Clean carrot stain out of Izzy's outfit.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off mortgage. Buy my mom a house. Quit all jobs. Travel. Have more bambinos...those petri dish kids are expensive!

Five places I have lived: Flint, MI. Hammond, LA. Hoffman Estates, IL. Bloomington, IN. Minneapolis, MN.

Five jobs I have had: Cashier @ Garibaldi's. Cashier @ Menards. Lifeguard. Cheerleading camp instructor. Clothes folder @ Banana Republic :)

I now tag Courtney, Katie, and Kristina. Have fun!!!

Indianapolis Zoo...

Ready to rock the zoo
Giraffes
Baby Elephant w/ daddy
Privacy please?
Monkey business
Still going strong
Zebra butts

Mike petting sharks

Just chillin

Tuckered out after a long day in the sun!

After our cousin Steve & Nikki left this morning, Mike had the great idea to head downtown to the Indianapolis Zoo! I was chomping at the bit to see the baby elephant...I had a sneek peek yesterday during the Mini Marathon (we run past the zoo and each year the elephants head to the top of their hill to get an up-close and personal view of the runners).

So we packed up and headed down...the weather was sunny and 65, perfect day to go to the zoo! We saw all of the animals (except the dolphin show) enjoying the spring weather. The giraffes even had spring fever (Mike made me take pics but I refused to post them - too graphic)! My favorite were the elephants & Mike loved the monkeys and seals. He even got to pet some small sharks. No thank you. Izzy was able to see most of the animals from her stroller. It seemed that she enjoyed watching the other kids more than the animals at time. Too cute.

We may have to head back in a few months when the koala exhibit opens!

Another 1/2 Marathon...

It's official...we have completed yet another Mini Marathon (13.1 miles)!!! This was Mike's 10th year running and Kelly's 7th. Mike's cousin, Steve Jennings, made the trip down from Wisconsin to run with us this year. He's a marathon runner, so this 1/2 marathon was a piece of cake for him. Our good friends, Katie & Rick, also joined us....which they have for the past 3 years.

Mike ran in 1:59, Steve in 1:56, Kelly in 2:09, Rick in 2:04 and Katie in 2:22. The surprising fact was that Katie was supposed to WALK the race and she ended up RUNNING the race. Hadn't trained to run it...and check out her time. Incredible.

I opted to run alone this year...something I haven't done in quite a while (last year I was pregnant and walked with Katie, the year before I ran with Sandi, and the year prior I walked with Becki). A very good friend of mine (Molly) made me 5 hours of a music medley on her iPod for me to run to. The music made the time go faster and helped me pick up the pace (I sprinted across the finish line to BIG PIMPIN'). I stopped once to potty on the race track and a few times at water stations. And I was just diagnosed with a SINUS INFECTION that I've been battling for 5 weeks...so that made my run that much harder. My goal was to break 2 hours...but it looks like I'll have to train harder next year!

After crossing the finish line, we proceeded directly to the beer tent where we all double fisted some Michelob Ultra to ease the pain. I believe we are all limping a bit today...but how fast we forget, as we are all running again next year :)

Here's a link to a photo of me running: http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_photo.asp?EVENTID=32421&PWD=&ID=49535396&FROM=photos&BIB=7515

Izzy's 6 month Photo Session

A few weeks ago, our friends (Courtney & Zach - http://www.zachdobson.com/) came over to take some pictures of Izzy a day before she turned 6 months old. Try getting a 6 month old to smile, or sit still - it's near impossible. There were lots of crying moments...but amazingly Zach captured even those beautifully.

You can check out all of the pictures from the session at the link to the right, 'The McCulloch Family Pictures.' Grandparents...you can ORDER pictures from this link. It's pure magic. And so is Izzy.